Vest Financial LLC Invests $1.50 Million in Valmont Industries, Inc. $VMI

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC opened a new position in Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI), purchasing 3,738 shares worth approximately $1.50 million in the fourth quarter.
• Valmont beat expectations for the quarter, reporting $5.51 EPS versus a $4.72 estimate and $1.03 billion in revenue (up 6.2% year-over-year), with a strong ROE (~24.9%) and an 8.9% net margin.
• Analysts have moved ratings and targets recently, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $500.33.

Vest Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valmont Industries, Inc. (NYSE:VMI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,738 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,504,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valmont Industries by 357.1% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 96 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valmont Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.84% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VMI shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valmont Industries from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $497.00 to $541.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valmont Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Valmont Industries in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Valmont Industries from $480.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $500.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valmont Industries

In other news, Director Mogens C. Bay sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $492.34, for a total value of $8,615,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 112,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,294,213.06. This represents a 13.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Valmont Industries Stock Performance

Shares of Valmont Industries stock opened at $508.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.23 and a beta of 1.24. Valmont Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $290.53 and a 52 week high of $513.58. The firm's 50 day moving average is $432.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $426.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Valmont Industries (NYSE:VMI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The industrial products company reported $5.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.79. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $994.85 million. Valmont Industries had a return on equity of 24.94% and a net margin of 8.91%.The company's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.32 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Valmont Industries, Inc. will post 22.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valmont Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. Valmont Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.10%.

About Valmont Industries

Valmont Industries, Inc NYSE: VMI is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in infrastructure and agricultural products. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, the company engages in the design, production and distribution of engineered products that support water management, power transmission, lighting and traffic infrastructure. Valmont's solutions range from center-pivot and lateral-move irrigation systems to utility poles, transmission towers, lighting structures and highway traffic signal support structures.

The company operates through several core business segments.

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